Author, biographer Sam Weller to discuss Ray Bradbury, writing at Lewis and Clark Community College

Author, biographer to discuss Ray Bradbury, writing

Vicki Bennington, For The Telegraph

Published
10:59 pm CDT, Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Columbia College Professor Sam Weller, left, with the late Ray Bradbury, about whom Weller, author of “The Bradbury Chronicles,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, at Lewis and Clark Community College. less

Columbia College Professor Sam Weller, left, with the late Ray Bradbury, about whom Weller, author of “The Bradbury Chronicles,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, ... more

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Columbia College Professor Sam Weller, left, with the late Ray Bradbury, about whom Weller, author of “The Bradbury Chronicles,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, at Lewis and Clark Community College. less

Columbia College Professor Sam Weller, left, with the late Ray Bradbury, about whom Weller, author of “The Bradbury Chronicles,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, ... more

Author, biographer Sam Weller to discuss Ray Bradbury, writing at Lewis and Clark Community College

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For decades, Ray Bradbury and his writings have been an inspiration for many people — for just as many different reasons.

Author Sam Weller, an associate professor in the Department of Creative Writing at Columbia College in Chicago fell in love with Bradbury’s books as a young adult reader.

“They were just magical and imaginative,” Weller said. “I went on to a career as a journalist for many years and ended up interviewing him for a cover story for the Chicago Tribune Magazine in 2000. We hit it off right away. We had many, many things in common and had similar personalities.”

Weller will share his knowledge of all things Bradbury, and of writing in general at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, at Lewis and Clark Community College.

That initial magazine interview led to a longtime friendship between Weller and Bradbury, and eventually, Weller wrote “The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury,” an authorized biography of the prolific writer, who was born in Waukegan, Illinois.

“The Bradbury Chronicles” became a national bestseller, won the 2005 Society of Midland Authors Award for Best Biography, and 11 years after its publication, continues to sell.

“Interest in Ray Bradbury has only magnified since his passing in 2012. Of course, he is central to so many middle and high school reading lists, as well,” Weller said. “‘The Bradbury Chronicles’ led to three more Bradbury-related books for me, as well as a graphic novel. I travel extensively, speaking about Bradbury and the writing process, so the book certainly changed my life in a very positive way.”

Known primarily for his work in fantasy, science fiction and mystery genres, some of Bradbury’s best known novels include “Fahrenheit 451,” “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and “The Martian Chronicles,” but he wrote scores of short stories in addition to novels, screenplays and scripts. He was often credited with bringing science fiction writing into the mainstream.

“There are so many ‘Yoda-esque’ lessons I learned from Ray,” Weller said. “He loved creativity and the process — not just the result.”

Weller’s talk also will focus on the business of writing in and of itself, as well as exploring the complicated world of getting work published.

“I like for my students to have something published before they even graduate, so they already have something on their resume when they proceed into the world,” Weller said.

After the Bradbury biography, Weller published “Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews” in 2010. Weller and Mort Castle co-edited the anthology “Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury” in 2012, full of short stories by writers who were inspired by Bradbury and/or his writing. “Shadow Show” was the winner of the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for “Superior Achievement in an Anthology.” In 2014, Weller edited “Ray Bradbury: The Last Interview,” featuring his final conversations with the writer. Also in 2014, Weller and Castle released a five-issue “Shadow Show” comic book series.

As a result of the comics, as well as the science fiction and/or fantasy nature of much of Bradbury’s works, Weller has attended several Comic Cons (comic book conventions full of characters and fans of the genre).

“I love it. Ray and I used to go together every summer to the San Diego Comic-Con. Lots of great memories,” he said.

Weller has been teaching full-time since 2005, prompted partly by the changing mediums in the world of communication. A part-time teaching position at Columbia College led to the opportunity for a full-time position, and he took it.

“It is awesome to be around young people and their energy and ideas,” Weller said of his tenured position in the creative writing department at Columbia. “I really love helping young writers navigate the world of publishing. It is wonderful to help students get their first published piece.”

His teaching schedule allows him to travel and speak around the country, inspiring writers and sharing the importance of Bradbury. Summers off provides time to work on additional books.

A Lake Forest, Illinois native, Weller earned a bachelor’s in film (which is still a passion for him) and a master’s in creative writing from Columbia College. He has written for numerous publications, and organizations, including The Paris Review, Huffington Post and National Public Radio.

Weller will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, and at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, in the Reid Memorial Library at LCCC, presented by the school’s diversity council. Both presentations are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Liz Burns at 618-468-4320.

The Diversity Council event is presented by the Mannie Jackson Endowment and Center for the Humanities and is a Lewis and Clark Arts and Humanities Project, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.